Folks, Karl's photo of the Fairmont Tie Shear reminded me of some great reporting work done by Dan Overbey in FMIG Newsletter #11 in Sikeston back in the day. Thankfully, he took good notes of work train make-ups. I won't repost the rosters here, but the newsletter can be found here: http://www.frisco.org/vb/showthread.php?2117-FMIG-Newsletters&p=14345#post14345 Edit 1/9/2024: https://www.frisco.org/shipit/index.php?threads/fmig-newsletters.1665/page-2 He notes that most all of the cars were silver-painted for MoW service. The longer work train lists 1966 as a date. Some interesting notes: Work and Boom Car SLSF 101755 was a flat car with part of a boxcar body mounted at one end. He mentions SLSF 102978 being a "bluff gang tool car." Office & Bunk Car SLSF 105252 noted that it still had truss rods. SLSF 105648 was a silver ex-REA-RPO car with generator. Bunk Car SLSF 105418 has a nice detail for the 1960s crowd: Dan's notes indicate it was a passenger car w/TV antenna on it. Bunk Car SLSF 102483 indicates that it was wood sheathed with "Huntoon Trucks." My hope is that Ken Wulfurt can provide a quick tutorial on these trucks. Can anyone translate what the "bluff gang" means? Best Regards, Edit 1/9/2024: Added a current active link to the FMIG page with issue 11. Original link no longer works. MKD
I'm not sure what a "Huntoon" truck is, never heard of it. My SWAG is that it is a clone of the "Bettendorf" design truck made by yet another truck manufacturer back in the day or ditto for an "Andrews" design truck. I'll do some research in the various Richard Hendrickson truck articles I have. Sadly, we are no longer able to ask Richard for his help on this one. Ken
Thanks Keith! Ah, the wonders of modern computer and digital technology, the powers of observation, and frisco.org members who take photos of Frisco equipment. The Huntoon truck, as I SWAG'ed, is a "Bettendorf" design truck that the Frisco used on several wooden three-window cabooses back in the 1920's-1930's. Here is a pic of a Huntoon truck, taken by Keith Robinson, on SLSF 1145, a caboose located in Des Peres, MO for the past couple of decades. It is about a mile from our house! Thanks to Keith, we have a great pic of the Huntoon caboose truck - "Bettendorf" design, leaf sprung, standard bearings. Per Dan Overbey's article in FMIG #11, the Huntoon also found its way under a MOW bunk car, presumably a converted box car. I also have a reference from the Santa Maria Valley Railroad Historical Museum that cab SLSF 180 also rode on Huntoon trucks, no doubt like those under SLSF 1145. I never realized we had a Huntoon lurking in the neighborhood! Ken
I'll be darned. Fascinating stuff; at first glance I figured it was just like any of the other leaf-sprung trucks that one would see on all of the old Frisco cabeese. Thanks, Ken and Keith. Best Regards,
If I am interpreting the lettering on the caboose truck correctly, the Huntoon truck design was patented in January, 1913 (or 1917?). This particular truck side frame under SLSF 1145 was cast for the Frisco in April, 1937. Strange that if "Huntoon" was around that long in the railroad truck business that we are not more familiar with their name. I will check Richard's numerous truck articles to see if he made note of them. K
Now everyone can see why we all should document with high resolution photos and share, so the detail and information is preserved.
That is so cool! Even says it in large letters! By the way, I have a question. What is the cable used for that is hanging along the caboose? TIA ...
I was going to comment on that, its called a Caboose Chain or cable. They are used to pull a car with a drawbar pulled out or several other things. One time on the West End, Dick Dobbs decided to clean out the deep ditch on the south side of the long tracks. The owner of the land would not let the railroad on his property. Well old Mark Plumb, was running the D-7 and sank it where you could walk out of the seat on to the ground. We tried to cable crossties on to the tracks, but that didn't work. Finally we pulled it out with a caboose chain, the engine didn't even get out of 2 throttle. I should probably explain a little, you put a track tie across the back of the tracks on a bulldozer and attach the tie to the dozer tracks with cable. Then when you start pulling it lifts the dozer up or clears the mud from the undercarriage.
This photograph shows another SLSF caboose with Huntoon trucks. http://www.jf2.com/SMVRHM.ORG/caboose.pdf
Quick note in response to the inquiry concerning the bluff gang. This gang's primary responsibility was inspecting the many bluffs adjacent to the railroad for possible rock slides on the River Division between St. Louis & Memphis. By hanging on ropes or other means, they would pry or dynamite the potential loose rocks loose. Some of the bluffs had rock fences which if a loose boulder rolled down against the fence, it would throw the signal red. The Bluff Gang consisted of a foreman named Doug ?, an Assistant Foreman named Ray Brawner (sp), trackman Troy Estes and another trackman whose name was Jim. His last name slips my memory. Plus possibly additional help if and when required. This same gang assisted with the dynamiting of a new tunnel, about 1958-59 at MP 15 (?) near Barnhart MO. "Pop" was a trackman assigned to the gang during this project. This tunnel was used for water only but permitted the railroad to pretty well retire two bridges nearby. Sad accident happened when lightning struck both Troy and Ray in the final days of this project. They both survived but were hospitalized.
